Chronology of Coverage

May. 24, 2015

Jeff Sommer Strategies column observes that the Economic Cycle Research Institute, well-known for its strong record in predicting economic ups and downs, has only recently amended its claim that a recession took place between 2011-12; argues that error highlights poor track record for economists in general when it comes to predicting business cycles. MORE

Apr. 17, 2015

Paul Krugman Op-Ed column submits United States made better recovery from 2008 financial crisis than Europe by adhering to traditional remedies of deficit spending and lowering interest rates, while Europe pursued novel and ineffective approach; disputes claims that Europe's policy failed due to lack of guidance and inadequacy of economic models to deal with recession; says effective model existed all along, but European leaders refused to follow it. MORE

Jan. 11, 2015

The Upshot; Hall of Mirrors, new book by economic historian Barry Eichengreen, presents alternate narrative of the government's handling of the 2008 economic crisis; suggests that global leaders repeated many of the mistakes made in the 1930s by their Depression-era counterparts, leading to slow recovery that is still a significant problem seven years later. MORE

Dec. 8, 2014

Paul Krugman Op-Ed column welcomes fact that well over 300,000 jobs were added in latest jobs report, but argues good news does not vindicate policies that prolonged the recession; holds economic recovery under Pres Obama, while it still fell short in pursuing robust stimulus measures, was far better than that under former Pres George W Bush. MORE

Nov. 22, 2014

Floyd Norris Off the Charts column reflects on state of Japanese economy, which is in recession again and has spurred Prime Min Shinzo Abe to call for snap election; notes report on country's third-quarter gross domestic product contained troubling information about overall inflation rate, which fell again in the quarter at an annual rate of 1.3 percent. MORE

Nov. 18, 2014

Japan's unexpected recession worries other troubled economies, notably Europe, which faces decision on whether to follow Japan's lead by injecting more money into economy; European Central Bank ponders aggressive bond-buying campaign known as quantitative easing. MORE

Oct. 10, 2014

Editorial laments that many finance ministers and central bankers from around the world are unwilling or ill prepared to respond to a world economy on verge of recession; outlines steps that government and central banks could take to avoid another recession, such as increasing government spending on public investments. MORE

Sep. 13, 2014

Economic recovery taking root in Michigan, among states hit hardest by the 2008 recession, has not translated into an improved political environment for officials in either party; Gov Rick Snyder, a Republican, is neck-and-neck with his Democratic challenger, and Rep Gary Peters, a democrat, is struggling to maintain a lead over his Republican opponent in race for Senate seat. MORE

Jul. 19, 2014

Floyd Norris Off the Charts column; industrial production in United States, India and China has recovered from Great Recession, but many other advanced countries worldwide continue to struggle. MORE

Jun. 19, 2014

The Upshot; uncertainty about whether European economy is expanding or whether it is in recession shows why economic situation is so perilous in Europe; part of hesitation by economists charged with determining whether recession has ended stems from fear that policy makers may not be sufficiently concerned about state of the economy. MORE

May. 17, 2014

Alina Tugend Shortcuts column; experts say fears of losing jobs, or 'perceived job insecurity,' hangs over many workplaces, even as immediate impact of recession, including widespread buyouts and layoffs, may be fading; perception often leads to wide-ranging negative effects on workers and companies alike. MORE

May. 2, 2014

Paul Krugman Op-Ed column reflects on why policy makers and politicians ignored both the lessons of economics and history in addressing the recession caused by the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008; maintains most of the vast waste and suffering that have afflicted Western economies since the onset of the recession was unnecessary. MORE

Apr. 28, 2014

National Employment Law Project reports that deep recession and bad economy has replaced good jobs with bad ones; finds while total employment has finally surpassed pre-recession levels, strongest employment growth has been in low-wage work, at places like strip malls and fast-food restaurants. MORE

Apr. 19, 2014

Floyd Norris Off the Charts column says most industrialized countries, with notable exceptions of Germany and Japan, have smaller proportion of their working-age population employed than they did at end of 2007, before Great Recession began. MORE

Apr. 9, 2014

International Monetary Fund's latest forecast takes view that rich countries whose property bubbles and collapsing banks plunged world into recession are now helping lead slow-moving recovery; predicts world economy growing 3.6 percent in 2014 and 3.9 percent in 2015, up from 3 percent in 2013. MORE

Apr. 5, 2014

Signs are emerging, years after recession, that labor market is tightening enough to allow for more workers to receive raises that significantly exceed inflation. MORE

Dec. 20, 2013

Paul Krugman Op-Ed column criticizes political leaders like George Osborne, Britain's chancellor of the Exchequer, for claiming that austerity policies have worked, using lackluster global recovery as proof; contends growth would have been more robust without austerity policies, which have been clearly shown to be detrimental to depressed economies. MORE

Oct. 6, 2013

Catherine Rampell It's the Economy column notes that wealthy investors who bought foreclosed homes during 2008 housing crisis are flipping them at a profit now; observes this phenomenon, which has made many homes today unaffordable, highlights how the financial crisis has benefited America's upper class while brutalizing the middle class. MORE

Aug. 28, 2013

Census Bureau says portion of American households made up of married couples with children under 18 fell to 20 percent from 40 percent from 1970 to 2012; analysis details other fundamental changes in family life in time period; numbers also show profound effect recession has had on American families from 2005 to 2011. MORE

Jul. 14, 2013

Op-Ed article by economist Seth Stephens-Davidowitz describes his methodology in study finding that child abuse greatly increased as a result of the recession; used an analysis of anonymous aggregate Google searches and contends his findings, contrary to pronouncements of many child-welfare experts, show that one should be skeptical of statistics based on official reports of crime in general. MORE

Jun. 15, 2013

Floyd Norris Off the Charts column says American households, taken as whole, have recovered from financial crisis and Great Recession, but different picture emerges when looking at average household wealth; notes that young people have seen little financial relief from upturn in economy. MORE

Apr. 26, 2013

Shrinking economic output in Germany, Belgium, France and other Northern European countries suggest that recession may be spreading across entire continent, to nations once considered bastions of euro economy; recession in Germany and others would have strong negative multiplicative effect, hampering growth in United States, Asia and Latin America. MORE

Mar. 31, 2013

Annie Lowrey It's the Economy column examines how members of Generation Y, battered by recent financial crisis, have developed Depression-era obsession with money. MORE

Dec. 19, 2012

Tens of thousands of jobless young people nationwide--many with college credits or work experience--are struggling to house themselves in wake of recession. MORE

Nov. 5, 2012

Report published in journal The Lancet finds rate of suicide in United States rose sharply between 2008 and 2010, first years of recession. MORE

Oct. 10, 2012

Spending cuts and tax increases large enough to throw the United States back into recession will hit in January 2013 if Congress fails to act; analysts projecting the complicated and wide-ranging potential 'fiscal cliff' impact say the effect would be powerful but gradual and, in some cases, reversible. MORE

Oct. 4, 2012

Markit Economics notes its survey of purchasing managers showed business activity and new orders in the 17-nation euro zone fell in third quarter after dropping in second quarter; says region is most likely in recession. MORE

Oct. 2, 2012

Eurostat reports unemployment in the euro zone reached a record 11.4 percent in August, and revises figures for June and July to 11.4 percent; analysts say data underscores that European recession is deepening. MORE

Aug. 17, 2012

News analysis; economists say the euro zone is hurtling back into recession, after official figures show a shrinking economy, by some measures under way for years; with the exception of Germany, none of Europe's biggest economies have returned to the level of output they had at the start of 2008; figures suggest Europe is well into what could become a lost decade--a period of stagnation and wasted potential that could have lasting effects on citizens. MORE

Aug. 16, 2012

Georgetown University study shows that Americans with no more than a high school education have continued to lose jobs during the recovery from the recession, shedding 200,000 jobs from early 2010 to early 2012, while better educated people have gained millions of jobs. MORE

Jun. 13, 2012

Editorial highlights a new survey from the Federal Reserve, which found that the median American family's net worth dropped by nearly 40 percent due to the recession; criticizes Congressional Republicans for opposing measures that would help the economic recovery. MORE

May. 23, 2012

Congressional Budget Office reports that the economy could relapse into a recession if Pres Obama and Congress remain at an impasse and allow several big tax increases and spending cuts to take effect at the start of 2013. MORE

Apr. 26, 2012

Britain has fallen into its first double-dip recession since the 1970s, a development that raises more questions about whether government belt-tightening in Europe has gone too far; report of an unexpected 0.2 percent decline in economic output during first-quarter 2012 provokes an outcry in Britain on the same day that European Central Bank president Mario Draghi shifts his rhetoric on the debt crisis to add emphasis on growth. MORE

Feb. 29, 2012

Eduardo Porter Economic Scene column notes that Republicans have condemned the stimulus package that was aimed at creating demand for goods and services to reignite growth and stop the economic downward spiral, but wonders what they would have done differently to respond to the recession. MORE

Feb. 11, 2012

Floyd Norris Off the Charts column holds the economic recovery that has followed the end of the 2007-9 recession may be properly named the private enterprise bounce; states while the overall recovery is comparable to recoveries after the two previous recessions, this one has been pushed higher by rising private investment and hiring, but held back by cuts in government spending and hiring. MORE

Jan. 10, 2012

Obama administration report published in the journal Health Affairs shows that the recession in 2007-2009 reined in the growth of health spending as many people lost jobs, income and health insurance; graph highlights rates of national spending on health in 2010. MORE

Dec. 27, 2011

Spanish economy minister Luis de Guindos says country will slide back into recession in early 2012, with the current quarter and first quarter of 2012 both contracting 0.2 to 0.3 percent. MORE

Dec. 12, 2011

Paul Krugman Op-Ed column contends that global economic downturn has reached the level of depression, despite fact that unemployment is not yet as high as it was in 1933; notes current depression, especially in Europe, has developed strong political component, with far-right-wing parties gaining traction and democratic institutions under siege; cites example of Hungary, where right-wing Fidesz party has successfully used economic crisis to alter constitution, gerrymander voting districts and suppress opposition in order to cement its grip on power. MORE

Oct. 20, 2011

Many large states like Washington, Florida, California, New York and New Jersey are seeing much weaker tax collections than expected when their budgets were drawn, as nation continues to battle recession. MORE

The share of the American population that is middle income has been shrinking for several decades. Until fairly recently, that was because more people were entering a higher-income bracket. Now it’s for the opposite reason.

Ever since the recession hit in 2008, the debt burden of most European nations has risen sharply. Particularly vulnerable countries like Greece and Portugal have been forced to impose further austerity measures and turn to their neighbors and the International Monetary Fund for bailouts to help manage their finances.